Part of any subculture is slang. The words are often not the hard part, rather it is inflection and timing. If you want to impress all your road bike friends (or look like a fool when you mess up) The Dictionary of Roadie Slang might come in handy. Stumbling across this roadie dictionary was actually part of the inspiration for the Dictionary of Bike Commuter Slang featured on Bike Hacks. New additions always welcome! (submit here)
I highlight some of my personal favorites from the Roadie Slang Dictionary below, but I must admit I would not be able to hang with the in crowd because although a lot of the terms make perfect sense, I have not heard of most of them.
all show and no go -- A not so good rider with a state of the art bike and gear.
bubba -- (Southern USA) A rude driver, usually in a pickup truck. Can also be used to describe probability of encounter, i.e., "That loop is about a 2 bubba ride." When encountering a bubba, the best response is to smile and wave - that irritates them more than any other response without increasing the odds they will come back and make a road pizza out of you...
carrot choppers -- Spinergy wheels.
EWD -- Extreme Wiener Discomfort, (aka: penile numbness).
human lung -- A rider who doesn't need to breathe while everyone else is gasping.
invisible hill -- A headwind.
kite -- Good climber, bad descender. Opposite of: brick.
pump the big meat -- Push a big gear.
vulture -- To circle at the top of a hill waiting for slower "friends".
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